Lolita Response Paper

Carleigh Craparo 12. 3. 12 English Lolita can be described as a controversial book that can draw the readers in and cause them to feel sympathetic towards a man who is a murderer, pedophile, predator, and an egomaniac. The author, Vladimir Nabokov, seduced the readers’ minds’ with numerous elements about Humbert to distract them from his true evil tendencies. Humbert is the main character of Lolita and describes his life story from an American jail cell. He begins to describe his childhood and how he was struck by his first love named Annabel Leigh.They were deeply attracted to one another and attempted to make love for the first time, however, they are interrupted and never able to follow through because Annabel died shortly after. Throughout the novel, Humbert attempts to â€Å"recreate† his past and therefore a psychotic obsession follows. Humbert is a sympathetic pedophile that is trapped in his own self-delusion. He is able to manipulate the readers by captu ring them with his eloquent writing style, cunning looks, justification, and an array of attempts to get the reader to see through his eyes with his skewed perspective.Vladimir’s style of writing really stuck out to many readers at the time it was published. Humbert mainly writes in long sentences and uses elegant words to transpose the reader’s feelings towards his lustful desire. Humbert was raised by a multicultural father who gave Humbert the ability to become multilingual and have an impressive education. He feeds the readers’ minds’ with fancy words such as etiolated, sartorial, truculently, Lucerne, platitudinous, or even neuralgic. Humbert is able to distract the reader from the evil in his thoughts by using his literary illusions, ornate style, and multilingual puns.Also, Vladimir creatively uses anagrams throughout his writing such as a character’s name is Vivian Darkbloom, which correlates with the author’s name Vladimir Nabokov. The words and phrases he uses foreshadow the storyline. For example, the name Dolores, which is Lolita’s real name, means sorrow and grief in Latin. While, Lolita, (the name Humbert made up) sounds light, playful, and suggestive. Humbert changing Dolores’s name shows that he dehumanizes her and created a fantasy of her in his head. Mentally, he already separated her from the normal childhood she needed and fantasized of a fake realm.Also, the author creates many visual scenes like in the book when he was recalling a shopping trip, â€Å"Lifesize plastic figures of snug-nosed children with dun-colored, greenish, brown-dotted, faunish faces floated around me. I realized I was the only shopper in that rather eerie place where I moved about fishlike, in a glaucous aquarium. I sensed strange thoughts. † His style in writing connects the readers so intensely with Humbert so they can feel his emotions to end up having emotional empathy. Humbert was a man that was fasci nated not only with nymphettes, but also his â€Å"charming outward appearance†.Even though Humbert Humbert is a narcissist man, he has a long history of women lusting after him. It all began with his beloved Annabel, then to his first wife Valeria, then onto Charlotte, Lolita Jean Farlow, and lastly Rita. All of these women became entranced by Humbert’s â€Å"clean-cut jaw, muscular hand, deep sonorous voice, broad shoulder†. Not only were many women falling for Humbert’s looks, but also Humbert himself. He was very aware of his appearance and even says â€Å"I was, and still am, despite mes malheurs, an exceptionally handsome male; slow-moving, tall, with soft dark hair and a gloomy but all the more seductive cast of demeanor†.Humbert is a very egotistical man and compliments his outward appearances to balance his inner guilt. He is able to charm the readers by distracting them with his likable attractiveness. Not only does Humbert Humbert manipu late the audience with his writing style, proper English background, and physical features, but he also justifies his actions. He desperately attempts for the readers to understand his shameful past and makes excuses for the actions he made. He is an unreliable narrator and rarely reveals how the scenes truly play out.Humbert gives the story in a biased manner and is overwhelmed in his self-delusion. He is constantly looking for sympathy and wants the reader to be as perverse as he is. Many say that he battles between beauty and lust. He pretends that he is appreciating beauty and completely voids his ethics and morals. Sadly, lust ultimately wins and he overtakes Lolita’s innocence. Again, Humbert blames Quilty for taking Lolita’s innocence when it was truly Humbert himself. He somewhat understands his actions were wrong when he begins to express regret, â€Å"Reader!What I heard was but the melody of children at play, nothing but that, and so limpid was the air with in this vapor of blended voices, majestic and minute, remote and magically near, frank and divinely enigmatic—one could hear now and then, as if released, an almost articulate spurt of vivid laughter [†¦] I stood listening to that musical vibration from my lofty slope [†¦] and then I knew that the hopelessly poignant thing was not Lolita's absence from my side, but the absence of her voice from that concord† Humbert is an evil man that will not accept his pedophiliac nature.Lolita quickly had her mother, innocence, and rights taken from her when Humbert walked into her life. Humbert likes to paint Lolita as a young girl infatuated with him because his looks resembled that of a famous celebrity she had a crush on. However, he rarely goes into depth on Lolita’s thoughts and emotions and completely dismisses them. He immediately believes this â€Å"street smart† girl feels the exact same way he does.Not only does Humbert try to twist that Lolita fee ls the same way as Humbert feels, but he also manipulates the readers to think that Lolita has full control over the relationship. If it wasn’t for Humbert madly obsessing over Lolita, her mother Charlotte, would not run away frantically from finding out about Humbert’s true dark feelings for Lolita. Charlotte is instantly killed by a car and Humbert truly has no guilt whatsoever for her death but feels relieved instead. Humbert then is able to take full control of Lolita’s life and belongings.Humbert is constantly bribing Lolita for sexual favors and strips her away from having any freedom at school such as talking to boys. They travel across the country and Lolita ripped away from having anything close to a normal life. Humbert is proven to be a manipulator and controller because of his behavior in the past. Throughout his childhood, he had control over his life after his mother’s death. He is able to manipulate Lolita by being in full control of the mo ney and tells her that she has nowhere to go if she attempts to leave him.She had no other alternative but to fall to someone else to escape the trap that Humbert put on Lolita. Humbert is able to make the audience see that he is just a man that can’t control his lust and love for a girl when she is constantly throwing herself at him. However, that may not be the case and by him becoming more and more controlling of Lolita, he is losing less control of himself. Overall, Humbert is a sympathetic pedophile constantly lurking for others to understand his feelings or he may think that people just think and feel as he does.He uses numerous techniques to grab his victims and get them to be controlled or manipulated. When the book was first published, many did not see the art to Nabakov’s book and completely dismissed it as â€Å"pornographic† and â€Å"innapropriate†. However, Nabakov took a dark storyline and got the readers to â€Å"become one† with th e villain. Even Nabakov says Humbert is a â€Å"monster of incuriosity† and â€Å"a vain and cruel wretch†. Nabakov is able to get the audience to feel sympathetic for him and seduce the readers with his memoirs. He uses

Home Schooling vs Public Education

Home Schooling vs Public Education Ann Brickler COM/155 University Compostion and Communication I March 10, 2013 Stephanie Cook Home Schooling vs Public Education The debate continues and often will turn into heated arguments between the two opposing sides. The side of the fence that you choose is ultimately your decision on what type of education your child receives. Homeschooling may have many benefits, a public school education may provide a better learning environment for a student to learn and succeed.There are so many forms of education that a person may receive today with two of the forms as home schooling and public education. There are some benefits to the individual of home schooling, such as being able to learn on your own time and having one-on-one instruction. Child safety is a pro for the parent as they are not having to worry about bullying in school and not having their child exposed to drugs or alcohol by their peers. There are also pros and cons of public education with the pros being the child is receiving an education from a professionally trained teacher.They are better prepared in everyday teachings that the child will receive. The curriculum is outlined for the year on what the child will be taught and what is expected to be taught to the child by way of a school board developing the curriculum. Children are also learning on how to socialize with other children and realizing on how diverse a world we have. The cons of home schooling outweigh what some people believe as a benefit. One being that the parent is not a professional teacher such as English or music class. The parent does not have the technique in giving their child a quality and prolific education.Another con is the student is not being exposed to a diverse environment. The child is not able to grow with their peers and associate themselves with reality and what is out there on the streets that children have to deal with when they are in a public school setting. Child safety ca n be a con in public education with what has recently been happening with the shootings in schools and bullying by other children. You should not shelter a child because of the cons as this is something that can be dealt with while growing up. Children learn how to deal with issues such as these and grow more because of them.Another con is the standardized testing that children are expected each year to take at the beginning of each school year. This test gives the school board a better concept on where each child is in their learning grade. It also is one factor on whether a child will move ahead in their grade level in the fifth and eighth grade. Children are tested and quizzed weekly in their classes and that determination in itself will give each teacher a concept on what the child is retaining and whether they should move along in each grade level. Socialization for home schooled children as an individual or a group can be a challenge for them.Public schooled children have a be tter advantage to them when they are put in a group together to socialize amongst themselves relating to a topic they may be learning about in their class or to do a project together. They are able to gather ideas and listen to other ideas which enable more learning for them. When you are home schooled the only type of socialization in a group you are going to have is with either your sibling or with your parent. That can be a good thing only if that child is a type of introvert and has a difficult time relating to others in a traditional school setting.There are homeschool groups that you can join with your child to meet other parents and children, but there may not be many of these groups out there for you to select from as there are children whom are more likely to receive a public education. Another advantage the child in a public school has is being able to play in sports that are offered. The home schooled child does not have that offered to them. A child who is home schooled can request to join a sports team in their school district but that does not always work for them. The district can say no to them joining a school sport.A public school child can join a school sport at any time it is offered; however, they are expected to maintain a grade point average of a C. If they do not, they are suspended from the team if they are involved or denied completely from trying out for the team. Public school provides a more diverse and social experience in contrast to homeschooling. Parents whom are homeschooling their children should be qualified to teach as a public schoolteacher. A public school education can be much more fulfilling and gives children the tools they need to succeed.Socialization and interaction with other children is a benefit to any child to help them learn and grow with others in their age group. Home schooled children may not be susceptible to drugs and alcohol or school bullying but sometimes the risks outweigh these factors. There is no te sting done by the district of the home schooled child and to know exactly where they are in their grade level. Standardized testing does aide the district for public school children but is essentially given at the beginning of a school year where it can be a misleading statistic on what the child in a public school does know by the end of the school year.Whether you choose to send your child to a public school or teach them on your own, be sure that you have the proper tools to do this. Your child’s future depends on you and the education they receive. Overall, the knowledge the child gains and the scores they receive between the two, home schooling and public education has each of its own benefits and each of its own drawbacks. As long as the student’s needs are being met, regardless the choice you make for your children, whether it be home schooling or public education, either type of teaching will be the best choice because you made the choice.

Creating a Motivating Work Setting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Creating a Motivating Work Setting - Essay Example Creating a work environment that maintains employee job satisfaction as well as motivates people towards exceptional performance is one of the fundamental roles of leaders to play. Recently, a survey was conducted by the Conference Board, which specified that only 45% of Americans are really satisfied with their work, the least record ever observed by the Conference Board in about 22 years of research (Chartcourse, 2011). Organizations which are not able to implement an adequate improved job satisfaction are at tremendous risk of losing their talented personnel to the existing competitive market. Leaders are entitled with huge responsibility of sustaining their talented employees by providing them with motivating elements. McDonald's is a renowned name of restaurants functioning globally. McDonald's is an American based company. The company is counted amongst the largest restaurant businesses and considered as part of the American life style. An estimate of its current global workfor ce would be around 1.5 million people, and 10 million people are estimated to have worked for the corporation, since its formation (McDonald's, 2011). The increasing expansion abroad appears to be the sound answer to an increasing economical market in the USA, where McDonald's is no longer trying to expand but is instead trying to increase the sales of existing restaurants. McDonald's is a service-oriented company where their products and personnel act as their face to their consumers. Therefore, providing them with satisfactory atmosphere is an essential aspect of motivation. In order to sustain in this competitive market, McDonald's has come up with strategies and development programs for motivating employees and polishing leadership qualities. In the paper, the motivation strategies of the organization and the effective techniques of leadership adopted by McDonald's will be analyzed. Case Example-McDonald’s The culture of any organization plays a very vital role in motivat ing employees. Work culture of McDonald's is highly dependent on the unit manager in charge at any particular time (Goldman, 2009). The most essential thing that any unit manager can do to create a motivated environment is to make sure that work performed by the employees is in accordance to strategies prepared. The unit managers need to ensure that the work performed by the employees is productive in nature with the point of view of the company. The responsibilities of leaders; in this case the unit managers or the line mangers, are intense in nature. Motivation does not mean employees doing their work accordingly when the manager is around but is what employees do when the manager is not around. A good leader is the one who does not only gives order but also welcomes feedback from employees. Managers are usually supposed to use position and power and adopt a telling style of leadership considering the employees are inexperienced and young. And, certain managers are found of runnin g the departments in mechanical way, mostly during peak business stage. Though, in quite a few cases managers were comparatively relaxed and at times were not different from their employees. Certain managers welcome the ideas of their employees, making them feel important. In this process, good ideas are generated and conceived whereas also add to the motivational factors in the organisation (Goldman, 2009). Generally, the managers avoid any strong vertical barriers themselves and between their employees. Motivation can be of four types such as extrinsic and intrinsic, and negative and positive. Extrinsic motivation is when one is working according to others’ will and intrinsic motivation

LABELS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

LABELS - Essay Example However, this is a hard trait to find yet there are significant understandings related with the same as this has meant immense value for the people at large, within the domains of any society. Since positive labels are hard to come by, sometimes they are difficult to find out. This means that the positive labels are tough to ascertain and analyze because there is a great amount of jealousy and bias related with labels. Positive labels are so few in the time and age of today that finding them becomes a hard task. The labels need to be comprehended properly so that the society can reap the benefits of the same. The labels are usually the negative ones which deem a lot of significance and thus the society does not benefit from it at all. What is important here is the fact that labels should be used in such a manner that they have more positives attached with them than the other way round. From a criminological theory, negative labels are very hard to get rid of. This is because these negative labels leave a lasting impression. The criminals are usually the ones upon which negative labels mean a drastic effect and the consequences for the same remain vital in entirety. The criminals are seen as individuals who leave a very negative stereotype for the sake of the society and are thus seen as having negative labels (Brody, 2012). The labels cannot be changed from one form to another easily. This is because the ones who are negatively labeled have a tough time in receiving the positive labels. This requires quite a task to bring about success. The negative labels are usually hard to drop because they have a sense of stigma attached with the personality under question. The positive labels similarly need to be seen within the same light. The positive labels are somewhat of a difficult situation to come about. This situation is because the labels are perceived by people and not given by the person

About german Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

About german - Essay Example The efficiency is admirable because if something is worth doing the Germans do it right. The obedience to the laws is also commendable. Laws are not created for citizens to pick and choose. They are for the betterment of society. Germans seem to understand this concept. As for the nudity when sunbathing, swimming, or in the sauna, this is laudable due to the shamelessness in the human body. Whether a svelte teenager or a wrinkled old woman the Germans are comfortable with their body. Americans are sometimes efficient, but not across the whole population. The efficiency personality varies among Americans. The obedience to the law is not as important to Americans. It seems that Americans pick and choose laws that are fair. If a law does not appear to be fair an American will fight to change it. For example at a red light in an emergency, an American will run the light. Germans would not. Americans enjoy nudity only for the good looking woman. Men can take off their shirts, but full nudity is obscene to Americans. Women can show everything but the chest and other private areas. Old people that are nude make the Americans disgusted. Germans and Americans are just different in these three

Bonnie Raitt and the Boom Generation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Bonnie Raitt and the Boom Generation - Essay Example In 1945, the number was 2.8 million births; it marked the beginning of the Baby Boom. In 1946, the first year of the Baby Boom, new births in the U.S. skyrocketed to 3.47 million births! A contributing article on about.com further detailed that new births continued to grow throughout the 1940s and 1950s, leading to a peak in the late 1950s with 4.3 million births in 1957 and 1961. (There was a dip to 4.2 million births in 1958) By the mid-sixties, the birth rate began to slowly fall. In 1964 (the final year of the Baby Boom), 4 million babies were born in the U.S. and in 1965, there was a significant drop to 3.76 million births. From 1965 on, there was a plunge in the number of births to a low of 3.14 million births in 1973, lower than any year’s births since 1945! The Boom Generation produced children that would one day become leaders throughout their respective fields and leave long lasting impacts among all who they have come across. Such examples of these people include Ge orge W. Bush and Bonnie Raitt. Bonnie Raitt was born November 8 1949 in Burbank, California, and raised in Los Angeles, in a climate of respect for the arts, Quaker traditions, and a commitment to social activism. The daughter of John Raitt, a famous Broadway star who featured in productions of ‘Carousel’, ‘Oklahoma!’ and ‘The Pajama Game’, and Marge Goddard, a skilled pianist and singer, she was exposed to music from a very young age. As such, she took up playing guitar at the age of eight, when she received one as a Christmas present. (Helium.com, Biography: Bonnie Raitt) While growing up, though passionate about music from the start, she never considered that it would play a greater role than as one of her many growing interests. In the late '60s, restless in Los Angeles, she moved east to Cambridge, Massachusetts. As a Harvard/Radcliffe student majoring in Social Relations and African Studies, she attended classes and immersed herself in th e city's turbulent cultural and political activities. Raitt was already deeply involved with folk music and the blues at that time. Exposure to the album Blues at Newport 1963 at age 14 had kindled her interest in blues and slide guitar, and between classes at Harvard she explored these and other styles in local coffeehouse gigs. Three years after entering college, Bonnie left to commit herself full-time to music, and shortly afterward she found herself opening for surviving giants of the blues. From Mississippi Fred McDowell, Sippie Wallace, Son House, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker she learned first-hand lessons of life as well as invaluable techniques of performance. Each generation views the world with a different perspective. This perspective is often shaped by key events (national catastrophes) in their lives as well as cultural influences (such as music) at the time. Understanding some of these viewpoints can greatly enhance successful communication and working relationshi ps. The Baby boomer generation grew up with the Vietnam War, the space race, and assassinations of Martin Luther King and President John F. Kennedy. Their childhood was typically modeled with very conservative mores. The civil rights movement, women’s liberation, the advent of television, rock ‘n’ roll, and the hippie movement caused them to question and rebel against the establishment. This constant

Navigating the Legislative Process in Analysis Autism as a Mental Research Paper

Navigating the Legislative Process in Analysis Autism as a Mental Disorder - Research Paper Example    This is to say that if the different legislative houses are controlled by different parties then it would require time and patience for any meaningful progress to be made. Similarly, it also requires that relationships and a good rapport are created before any meaningful progress is made. It also requires that one understands and respects the system because it is only through due diligence that the end result would be realized, and that is good legislative outcome or laws. This stems from the fact that autism is a lifelong disorder which has been subjected to misconceptions and stereotypes. As much as it is a pervasive disorder which affects the development of speech, movement and other functions of the body, autism is manageable and controllable. Thus, people with autism may suffer from uncoordinated speech, movement and suffer a short memory span, if proper actions are taken accordingly. Conventionally, misconceptions and half-truth have always clouded the whole notion of autism thus hindering any genuine attempts to address autism holistically. The legislative process in its simplest aspect influences the legislators because it allows them to confine their reasoning’s and arguments within due process. This stems from the fact that there is acrimony in the legislative houses because different legislators represent different parties, interests, and parties (Steuernagel, 2005). Thus, it is the irreducible minimum that each and every law is subjected under a thorough scrutiny before it is passed. This would only occur through patience and when the house would have conferred on the aptness of the laws. Thus, it requires the legislators to be patient and comply with the due process of law.   

Henri Lefebvre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Henri Lefebvre - Essay Example These critiques of the city were the basis for Lefebvre's investigation of the cultural construction of stereotypical notions of cities, of nature and of regions" (Shields, 2002). Within his writings, Lefebvre brought attention to the tendency of academia to place too much emphasis upon the classification of studies as being psychology, sociology, archaeology or geography among others, that all had as their end goal a study and understanding of space and other human geography issues. In analysing city life, Lefebvre argued 'everydayness' or banality is a soul-destroying feature of modernity and extended Marx's analysis of this concept by discovering new forms of alienation within the city. According to this view, consumption is part of the result of a failure to recognize this alienated state on the part of the modern consumer, which Lefebvre called the 'mystification' of consciousness (Shields, 2002). This early work influenced Walter Benjamin's Marxist analysis of culture as well as reflecting Le Bon's work on crowds and the furtherance of psycho-geography. In discussing space, Lefebvre delineated three key components of the urban lifestyle. These components include the perceived space of everyday social life that was predominantly ignored by professional life, the conceived space of cartographers and planners who work to segregate portions of land out to particular private owners within the capitalistic society, and lived space which exists in the imagination of the fully human individual who keeps it alive through accessibility to the arts and humanities. "This 'third' space not only transcends but has the power to refigure the balance of popular 'perceived space' and the 'conceived space' of arrogant professionals and greedy capitalists" (Shields, 2002). This conceptual space, as opposed to material space, is considered by Lefebvre to be of much greater significance to the shaping of the individual as is shown in the comment: "space as directly lived through its associated images and symbols, and hence the space of 'inhabitants' and 'users'... This is the dominated...space which the imagination seeks to change and appropriate. In terms of organized society, Lefebvre indicated this conscious awareness of these representational spaces as illuminated through art and the humanities was the only way in which Utopia could be reached. Within the French society of the interwar period, Lefebvre pointed to the dystopian malaise of his fellow countrymen as they struggled through periods of famine and industrial transition as well as the later society in which the urban landscape changed the rural nature of his homeland to develop his rhythm analysis. Through this analysis of the 'everyday' life of the city, Lefebvre indicates that the increases in speed seen through our advances in technology have quickened the tempo of the 'everyday', making it harder to keep up with both the changing rhythms of the city as well as the changing dynamics of the individual within that city. This model of modern concrete spaces and their interrelationship with the conceptual interior spaces that have been defined within the modern context have helped human geographers to further

What are the differences between managing people in a small marketing Essay

What are the differences between managing people in a small marketing consultancy and in a family run shoe factory - Essay Example But, the crucial fact is, most of the organization will be managed differently, based on the characteristics of the workers who work in it, among other reasons. Likewise, there is a difference between managing people in a small marketing consultancy and in a family run shoe factory. Firstly, inside a family run shoe factory, there will be an inbuilt or rooted organizational culture, built by the founder or the leader. That is, in any organization, the workers like the five different fingers in one’s hand, will be different from one another, as they will come from different backgrounds. The unison of these different humans under a single organization to reach a target is, and will always be a difficult proposition. As these different humans could only create a different working culture, the success rate will be minimal. Inside the shoe factory, this organizational culture could be easily established because being a family run factory, the founder or owner would have recruited or posted his/her family members from the same background in important positions. Also, as there will a close relationship between the employees, it will reflect in the work. Another vital element is, culture â€Å"coevolves† with the organization, when it achieves success (Sc hein). So, managing them will be an easy affair because of the presence of a common organizational culture. But, in the case of the marketing consultancy, the workers could be from different background having different educational qualifications, ethnicity, etc, etc. In those environments, the workers will only exhibit different mindset, and so formation of a common organizational culture is a difficult task or it will take time. So, managing a small marketing consultancy firm with different workers would also be a difficult task. Inside the family run shoe factory, on the flip side, even if the workers are found to be inept, they will not be fired easily. That is, when the employee becomes too lazy, self-seeking,

University education Essay Example for Free

University education Essay Topic: Universal education (should all higher education be free) Archer, W. (2011, September 16). Negative Effects of Tuition Expenses. Other Essay. Retrieved September 27, 2014, from http://www. booksie. com/other/essay/wilmarie_archer/negative-effects-of-tuition-expe nses Summary: This website told us some negative effects of tuition expenses, especially the university expenses. There are three sentences he said I think are reasonable and make me feel sad about the phenomenon. â€Å"Many individuals within society have dreams, even minority students. However, one major factor that prevents them from  accomplishing their goals is money. â€Å"Money isn`t everything, but in this century, without it, you can`t survive,† stated Eric Banshee. † It is sad that we are missing some geniuses or and the people who have a beautiful dream, but because they cannot afford the university tuition, they have to give up. The author thought that the low –income family should get help to let them have the opportunities to accomplish their goals. Should higher education should be offered to all for free?. (n. d. ). The Premier Online Debate Website. Retrieved September 28, 2014, from http://www. debate.org/opinions/should-higher-education-should-be-offered-to-all-for- free Summary: This website is very interesting because I can see not only the benefits of free education, but also the shortcomings of it by many people. Some people think it is necessary to have free education because knowledge should not come with a price tag and people should all have the opportunity to attend the university. However, some people think it is unpractical because some tuition is gave to the professors and free education may make the education quality become lower because people might not value the opportunity of studying then.

Building and Operating IT Systems Challenges

Building and Operating IT Systems Challenges Information management can be described as the collection and management of information from single or multiple sources and the dissemination of that information to one or more listeners. Often this involves people those who have a stake in, or a right to that specific information. Management involves the organization of and control over the structure, processing and delivery of information. The focus of this paper will be on distinguishing between a behavioral and a technical approach to information systems, identifying key management challenges involved in building, operating, and maintaining information systems today, and describing the capabilities of a digital firm. Additionally, I will be describing three types of information systems and explaining the four key enterprise applications for organization-wide process integration. Behavioral and Technical Approach Several viewpoints on information systems illustrate that the study of information systems is a field with multiple disciplines and therefore, no single theory or perspective governs. Generally speaking, the field can be separated into behavioral and technical approaches. The behavioral approach can be broken down even further into sub-categories to include economics, psychology, and sociology. The technical approach can also be broken down into sub-categories to include management science, computer science, and operations research. Behavioral Approach A very important element of the information systems field is involved with behavioral issues that surface in the development and preservation of information systems. Problems like strategic business design, implementation and utilization, and management cannot be fully explored with the models using a technical approach. Behavioral disciplines such as economics, psychology, and sociology can also contribute vital concepts and processes. For example, economists study information systems mainly interested in what impact systems have on cost structures within the business and within its particular market. On the other hand, Psychologists are interested in how human decision makers comprehend and use information. Finally, sociologists study information systems looking for how groups and organizations form the development of systems and also how these different systems affect individuals, groups, and organizations (Information Management, 2010). The behavioral approach does not completely ignore technology. In fact, information systems technology is frequently the reason for a specific behavioral problem or issue. But usually the heart of this approach is not normally geared toward technical solutions. Instead it centers on modification in attitudes, management and organizational policy, and behavior. Technical Approach The technical approach to information systems puts emphasis on mathematically based models to study information systems, in addition to the physical knowledge and abilities of these systems. The disciplines that play a role in the technical approach are computer science, management science, and operations research. Computer science has to do with creating theories of computability, means of computation, and approaches to effective access and storage of data. Management science highlights the growth of models for decision-making and management procedures. Lastly, operations research deals with mathematical methods for optimizing business issues such as inventory control, transportation, and transaction costs (Information Management, 2010). Key Management Challenges Building, operating, and maintaining information systems in todays fast-paced business world can be very challenging. These key management challenges are based on a multitude of problems such as information system investments, strategic business decisions, globalization, information technology infrastructure, and ethics and security. Information System Investment Challenge If managed intelligently, investments in information systems can improve employees lives and a businesss overall performance. For instance, over the past twenty years the Internet has developed form a technical innovation to a personal and business necessity. Some businesss have recognized considerable improvements in processing information by changing from mainframe computing to personal computers connected by local area networks (LAN). The ability of software applications to identify and correlate pertinent data in a data warehouse allows businesses to uncover unidentified financial or physical resource relationships and therefore make available suitable assistance where there had been none. However, along with the ability to enhance lives and organizations, some information system investments can become risky, costly, wasteful mistakes. To overcome these challenges, senior management personnel need to be able to successfully evaluate these investments to ensure the correct return on investment (ROI) (Laudon Laudon, 2006). Strategic Business Challenge You can pick up any management book and you can read about the significance of developing a strategic plan, and ideas about how to both develop and implement your plan. On the other hand, you will also find articles that you imply that strategic planning does not work because it is impossible to develop a long term plan in this ever changing business environment. In my opinion, the truth lies somewhere in between. Strategic planning can definitely help you get prepared on what you need to accomplish over the next years, what things you will need to accomplish those goals, and exactly how to go about accomplishing your goals. The trouble is that the benefits of strategic planning can be easily lost. These plans fail primarily because of what happens after the process of strategic planning. In general, a great effort goes into creating and developing a strategic plan, which is then quickly put away and forgotten, even by the people that created it. The goal of strategic planning lies not only in the development of the plan, but also in its implementation. Implementing the strategic plan will only work if you are clear about what this plan can bring to you and the organization. The strategic plan needs to have value, not only to the organization, but also to the employees. The bottom line is that the plan needs to be used by everybody. A strategic plan needs to be used as a decision-making tool from the top of the organization all the way to the bottom. Chief Executive Officers ought to be able to use it to make decisions on the direction of their business, mergers, or staffing. Managers should also be able to use it to make decisions for the priorities of their departments goals and objectives, and to align the work of their department with the overall goals of organization. Lastly, every employee must be able to use the plan to recognize his or her own goals, and where they fit in big scheme of things. When implemented correctly, a strategic plan helps to add meaning and focus to not only every individual, but the organization as a whole (Information Systems, 2010). Globalization Challenge The globalization of information technology warrants special attention by business executives, government officials and scholastic researchers for a multitude of reasons. First, is that information technology and systems are high-technology industries of considerable size and with significant potential for stimulating economic growth and jobs. The immediate growth in global trade and the surfacing of an international economy require information systems that can sustain both the production and selling of goods and services in many different countries. Second, access to the most up-to-date computer and telecommunications technology is central to competitive success in nearly all industries. Government policies which deliberately or inadvertently retard technological progress in the production and use of computers, information systems and telecommunications have important economic effects. Third, given language barriers, cultural, and political differences among dissimilar countries, th is focus often resulted in confusion and the breakdown of central management controls (Laudon Laudon, 2006). To overcome these challenges, it is imperative for organization to develop global hardware, software, and information systems standards. Additionally, organizations must be able to create global accounting and reporting methods and design worldwide business processes. Information Technology Infrastructure Challenge This particular challenge for businesses deals with how organizations can develop information technology infrastructures that can sustain their goals when business situations are changing at a rapid pace. Aging infrastructure is obviously a huge issue in many industries that only gets bigger as time goes on. Some equipment may have had external upgrades or facelifts, but in most cases, it is over 70 years old. Many organizations are left with expensive and unmanageable IT platforms that cannot readily adapt to innovation and change. Additionally, a competitive business environment and the pressures of the global financial situation weigh increasingly on companies minds (Information Systems, 2010). To battle this challenge, some organizations may be required to redesign its organization and develop a new information technology infrastructure to survive in this competitive business world. Ethics and Security Challenge Organizations must always be cognizant that their information systems are used in both an ethically and socially responsible manner. Although information systems have provided many benefits, they have also created new ethical and security issues that must be addressed. Every improvement in information technology can be tied in with at least one ethical dilemma. From Facebook to ordering merchandise online, computer users are ignorant of the delicate balance between ethical behavior and profits. Businesses, software and hardware developers, and individuals must think about what is ethically correct when using information technology on a daily basis. The primary issues essential to the world of information technology are the individuals expectation of privacy and the providers ethical duty to use its applications responsibly (Information Systems, 2010). The challenges organizations will face will be how to apply high-quality assurance standards to their information systems, as well as to their products and services. Additionally, they will have to develop information systems that are not only secure but that are still easy to use by most individuals. Digital Firms A digital firm can be described as, One in which nearly all of the organizations significant business relationships with customers, suppliers, and employees are digitally enabled and mediate (Laudon Laudon, 2006, p. 11-12). The firms primary business processes are performed through digital networks encompassing the whole organization or connecting several different organizations. A core or primary business process can be defined as the minimum single tasks to be completed to provide a certain level of reliability in output, without any thought to hardware, software, or performance. When a core process is put into practice, anything can be added to make the process more efficient, but nothing can be removed. On the other hand, a business process can be defined as, The set of logically related tasks and behaviors that organizations develop over time to produce specific business results and the unique manner in which these activities are organized and coordinated (Laudon Laudon, 2006, p. 12). Digital firms are extremely powerful because they can sense and react to their ever changing surroundings much faster those traditions organizations. Because of their quick reaction and the fact that they are more adaptable than the traditional firm, digital firms are much more able to endure in unstable times. Because these new firms are completely digital, there exist much more opportunities for them in the global business word. The Internet is quickly becoming the information system infrastructure of preference for electronic commerce. It offers organizations an easy way to connect with other business and individual at an unbelievably low cost. Additionally, it offers a complete and uncomplicated set of technologies and technology standards that can be implemented by any organization. Organizations can use Internet technology to drastically cut their transaction costs, time searching for buyers and sellers, and gathering information on products or services. This information is at the fingertips of anyone with a computer and access to the Internet. One example of a powerful digital firm has to be EBay. Following 2001, there were a high number of dotcom businesses that failed, but there were a few that held their ground, like eBay. The success of eBay is based on its capacity to transform many splintered, predominantly local markets into global ones at a comparatively low cost to its users (Simonsohn, 2010). People have always had a basic need and an appeal in buying and selling used objects and collectibles items. Prior to eBay, people would have tried to sell their unwanted items through family garage sales, classified ads, and flea markets. Nevertheless, the amount of people accessible to sell these items to was limited due to the fact that face-to-face transactions were almost always required. Another great example of a powerful digital firm would be Google. Google isnt just legendary for producing and providing useful services, but it has also acquired a few innovative businesses and integrated them. These include YouTube, Blogger, Picasa and Jaiku. Google used its digital background to take advantage of opportunities in the global business world, making them one of the most powerful businesses to date (Google, 2010). Types of Information Systems For most organizations, there are many different requirements for data or information. Senior managers continually need up-to-date information to help aide in their business decisions. Mid-level managers may need a bit more detailed information to assist them in monitoring and managing a multitude of different business dealings. Lastly, supervisors and employees with operational roles need information in order for them to perform their everyday jobs. Consequently, organizations tend to have a number of information systems operating at the same time. The three I will be discussing are the management information system (MIS), decision-support systems (DSS), and the transaction processing system (TPS). Management Information System A management information system (MIS) management information system (MIS)System used to extract data from a database and compile reports that help managers make routine decisions. obtains data from a database to compose reports, such as detail reports, summary reports, exception reports, and financial statements to assist managers in making better decisions. The different types of reports depend on the specific information a particular manager may require. A MIS is largely involved with internal sources of information. MIS generally receive data from the transaction processing systems (TPS) and reduce it into a sequence of management reports. MIS reports generally are used by mid-level managers and operational supervisors (Laudon Laudon, 2006). Decision-Support Systems A decision support system (DSS)decision support system (DSS)Interactive system that extracts, integrates, and displays data from multiple sources to help managers make nonroutine decisions. is an interactive system that gathers, displays, and combines information from various sources to help managers make non-routine decisions. DSS are explicitly designed to help management make decisions in circumstances where there is doubt about the potential results of those decisions. DSS are made up of tools and procedures to help gather pertinent information and analyze decisions and alternatives. DSS often requires the use of complex spreadsheets and databases to produce what-if models (Laudon Laudon, 2006). Transaction Processing Systems The majority of organizations day-to-day activities are documented and processed by its transaction processing system (TPS)transaction processing system (TPS)Information system used to record and process an organizations daily activities or transactions., which collect input data and changes them into output information meant for a variety of users. Input data are called transactions which are transactionsFinancial and nonfinancial events that affect a businessevents that affect a business. Transaction Processing Systems (TPS) are intended to process everyday transactions accurately and efficiently. A business may have several transaction processing systems to include; billing systems, payroll and tax payments systems, production and purchasing systems, or stock control systems to handle all movements into and out of the organization (Laudon Laudon, 2006). Challenges Posed by Information Systems Although the many different types of information systems are available to an organization and can be extremely beneficial to its growth, there are some management challenges. Some of these challenges include the tension related to designing and building the information systems, the need for training for both management and employees, and the need to establish which information systems is the most critical, therefore which system receives the majority of the funding. For an organization to overcome these challenges they need establish exactly what is needed in terms of information systems. Next, they need to schedule and provide proper training to all company personnel, so they are familiar with the systems. Finally, they need to develop a method of accounting for the cost of the systems and their priority. Key Enterprise Applications Most organizations compete in an rapidly changing, aggressive, global environment. Operating in a global environment forces an organization to concentrate on the most cost-effective implementation of its processes, customer service, and speed at which their products or services are brought to market. To achieve these lofty goals, it is essential that the organization freely exchange useful information across different functions, levels, and business departments. By incorporating all its processes, the organization can more effectively exchange information between departments, customers, and suppliers. The four key enterprise applications are enterprise systems, supply chain management systems, customer relationship management systems, and knowledge management systems. Enterprise Systems Enterprise systems incorporate the vital business processes of an organization into a separate software system. Data from a variety of functional areas are centrally housed and maintained where they can be retrieved and utilized by other functional processes. This alters an organizations work flow. Now information can effortlessly run throughout the organization, increasing synchronization, efficiency, and decision making. Enterprise systems are extremely tricky to employ successfully and once employed, are especially hard to change. Enterprise systems, also known as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems solve problems by providing a single information system for organization-wide coordination and integration of key business processes (Laudon Laudon, 2006, p. 56). Supply Chain Management Systems Supply chain management (SCM) can be described as an overseeing of resources, information, and finances as they move form supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer and finally to the consumer. Supply chain management requires managing and integrating the information, goods, and services flow together within and amongst organizations. Supply Chain Management Systems (SCMS) are used to help an organization manage its relationship with suppliers to optimize the planning, sourcing, manufacturing, and delivery of goods and services. SCMS supply information to aide suppliers, purchasing organizations, wholesale distributors, and logistic companies coordinate, schedule, and control business processes for their products and services (Su Yang, 2010). Customer Relationship Management Systems Many businesses make more profit from ongoing relationships with their customers than from the original sale. Customer relationship management (CRM) is a term applied to processes implemented by an organization to handle its contact with its customers. Customer relationship management systems (CRMS) concentrates on the coordination all of the business processes encompassing the organizations with its customers in sales, marketing, customer satisfaction, revenue optimizing services, and customer retention (Laudon Laudon, 2006). In todays highly-competitive business surroundings, the success of an organization relies greatly upon maintaining and exceeding customer expectations for both service and value. Knowledge Management Systems Knowledge management is the specific management of essential knowledge and information acquired by individuals so that it can be is effectively shared and made use of by other personnel in the organization. Through the successful sharing of corporate intellectual assets, Organizational Knowledge must be efficiently changed into business intellect. Personal knowledge concerning a business process must be converted into corporate knowledge ensuring it applied throughout consistently, ensuring maximum benefit to the organization. The main function of a Knowledge Management System (KMS) must be to make information obtainable to all authorized users (Laudon Laudon, 2006). However, implementing a straightforward information management system, file indexing and retrieval system is only the start. Securing corporate knowledge requires more than software and technology, it requires solid document management software and cultural alteration of how information is produced, handled, stored, and distributed.